Sajidah Yousuf
Srinagar, Oct 6: In a major concern, the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board (PCB) has identified 177 industrial units under the red category that were polluting the environment in the Srinagar outskirts.
Besides, the board has also identified 79 other industries falling under the orange category.
“A cluster of red category industries like the stone crushers at Rakh-e-Shalina and Lasjan, and cement factories at Khonmoh, Wuyan and Khrew need to be phased out periodically after proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).”
In an approved report of Srinagar Metropolitan Region (SMR) 2035 , authorities have said that the areas are proposed to be preserved for replenishing the degraded ecology of the area.
“It is also proposed that the bulk storage depots of petroleum products at Sanat Nagar and Hyderpora are proposed to be phased out from these areas to Petroleum Bulk Storage Depot either at Khunmoh or Balhama,” it reads.
“The industrial sector is in a highly poor condition in Jammu and Kashmir in general and Kashmir valley in particular despite various government efforts,” reads the SMR 2035.
The report suggests that it needs to be strategized by creating more jobs in the industrial sector which will require extension of the industrial base and revival of sick industrial units in Kashmir region.
“In this connection, new industrial estates are recommended to be developed in Budgam, Pulwama and Ganderbal suburban districts,” it reads.
SMR recommends that the age-old Silk and Woollen factories at Rajbagh and Bemina shall be revived for which sufficient budgetary allocations need to be made in state annual budgets.
“It is in place to mention here that the silk factory at Rambagh shall be shifted to village Mirgund, tehsil Pattan in the vicinity of Mulberry Farms for production of quality silk,” it reads.
It also states that the industrial estate at HMT Zainakote to be developed into an electronic and software park for manufacturing electronic goods and development of software applications besides providing IT-based solutions to customers within and outside the state.
“The Kashmir region has huge potential for the development of agro-based industries due to large-scale fruit production like apples, pear, apricot, walnut, cherry etcetera,” it reads.
